A Birder’s Heaven
Welcome Home: Bird houses, like the one pictured here, are placed all around the Environmental Center at Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus to welcome birds that migrate to South Florida for the winter.
On a recent morning, a hummingbird the size of a human’s palm flitted between the branches of a Chinese Hat Plant filled with red flowers on the grounds of the nine-acre Environmental Center at Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus.
The natural habitat is home to many birds seeking safety, serenity, food and a place to nest.
For that reason, the property is considered a prime location to spot birds during the peak of migratory season. The property is a division of the Continuing Education and Professional Development department of MDC. The habitat is open to the public every second Saturday of the month from October to May.
Millions of birds fly thousands of miles in hopes of finding different nesting areas every fall, making a stop in South Florida. Migratory season starts in late September and runs until March.
The conservation organization Tropical Audubon Society tracks sightings from the Environmental Center and sites all across South Florida on their virtual Bird Board. Birders both fanatical and casual can use it to identify and appreciate migratory animals that flock to South Florida this time of year.
“They migrate through Florida to South America, to the Caribbean,” said Stacey Kaufman, program coordinator at the Environmental Center. “It’s a long season. Wherever its cold they come through here to nest.”
For birds, migration is not an easy journey. Windmills, solar panels, cats and windows are some of their biggest obstacles when flying down South.
“That’s the very cool thing about birds to me, that the ones that make it, what they have to go through to get there,” Kaufman said.
Although there are no bird programs currently at MDC, Kaufman said that it is something she would like to develop. For her, one cool aspect about birds is that they are the closest evolutionary link to dinosaurs.
On a recent morning, Kaufman walked through the quiet, wooded property explaining the different year-round birds like Blue Jays, Cardinals, Catbirds and Mockingbirds. She listed migratory birds like Yellow Throated Warblers, Painted Buntings and Hawks that have been sighted at the Center.
She emphasized that the conservation of habitat is important in order to keep birds around for a long time.
“If they don’t have a place to live, if they don’t have shrubbery and trees and safe place to hide then, they lose their habitat and you slowly lose the population of the birds,” Kaufman said.
The Environmental Center held a Resident and Migratory Bird Day at their November open house. Those visiting experienced a bird walk and birding tips.
“We did two bird walks and talks,” Kaufman said. “We had about 80 people come from the public.”
Birding is a serious hobby for many. For Brian Rapoza, Tropical Audubon Society’s Field Trip Coordinator and Vice President of the Board of Directors, it is his profession.
“The best way for anyone to see and learn about migrant birds is to participate in birdwatching field trips such as those organized by Tropical Audubon Society,” said Rapoza, who authored the book Birding Florida.
Kaufman said the best way for students to appreciate birds is to “become more aware of your surroundings and birds, by sitting in the peace and quiet.”